Agra Events and Festivals

(Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India)

Agra and the state of Uttar Pradesh enjoys a jam-packed calendar of events and festivals, with plenty of things to do whenever you arrive. Many of the main festivals in Agra are religious in their content, featuring Hindu celebrations, parades, praying at temples and shrines, and folk music.

Other events in Agra include livestock fairs, where you will find enormous crowds of cattle, camels and other animals, while for others, processions of painted elephants make for the perfect photo opportunity. Particularly popular is the Taj Mahotsav carnival and also the Taj Food Festival, both of which take place in February and offer a chance to experience local festivities. Agra's main festivals are described here on a monthly basis.

Agra Calendar of Festivals and Events 2014 / 2015

January

• Republic Day - January 26th, national holiday in Agra, celebrating India's republic status, which was granted in 1950

February

• Magh Mela - early February, religious fair at Sangam, next to the River Ganges, attracting Hindu pilgrims from all around India
• Muharram - mid-February, the start of the Islamic Calendar, based around the Remembrance of Muharram
• Taj Mahotsav - mid-February, ten-day Mughal carnival held in the Shilpgram area of Agra, close to the Taj Mahal, featuring a mixture of parades with elephants, camel rides, local arts and crafts, shayari (poetry), classical music concerts, Mughal costumes, drumming, dancing and folk music. This event is extremely popular with tourist
• Taj Food Festival - late February, offering a chance to enjoy many of Agra's tastiest delicacies and specialities, along with Craft Mela displays of local handicrafts

March

• Holi - mid-March, huge crowds mark the start of spring with a range of traditional India events, including throwing coloured powder and water around. Also expect plenty of Holi singing, dancing and theatrical shows. Various other 'Holi' festivals take place close to Agra, in nearby towns, such as Barsana, Baldeo, Falen and Mathura

April

• Rath Ka Mela, Vrindavan - early April, based around the chariot of Lord Rangaji, attracting many thousands of visitors to the Rangaji temple in Vrindavan

May

• Purnima - early May, festivities and celebrations during the birthday of Buddha, at Sanarth, next to Varanasi

June

• There are no significant festivals in Agra during the month of June

July

• Sheetla Fair - July, takes place along Mahu Road, close to central Agra
• Teej Festival - July / August, a major festival held each year at this time in Rajasthan, to celebrate the arrival of the monsoon rains and honour the Goddess Parvati. Many of the main shrines around Agra are decorated at this time

August

• Urs (Fatehpur Sikri) - early August, taking place each year, prior to the month of Ramadan (Ramzan)
• Independence Day - August 15th, national holiday in Agra and all over India
• Kailash Fair - mid-August, well-attended local fair in nearby Kailash, some 12 km / 7 miles from Agra, honouring Lord Shiva, with many religious festivities and celebrations
• Janmashthami / Krishna Leela - August / September, celebrating the birth of religious icon, Lord Hare Krishna, where homes, temples and shrines across Agra and throughout India are decorated and filled with flowers. Month-long celebrations are held at Krishna's birthplace, with a range of events taking place at Mathura's Dwarkadhish Temple, in the Brajbhoomi area, some 50 km / 31 miles north-west of Agra

September

• Urs (Fatehpur Sikri) - early September, religious celebrations based at Sheikh Salim Chistti's Dargah each year during Ramadan (Ramzan)
• Ram Lila (Ramlila) - mid-September, Ramayama celebrations at Ramnagar in Varanasi
• Eid ul Fitr - late September, marking the very start of the Muslim month of Ramadan, with prayers at the main mosques, together with feasting and partying. This is a particularly family orientated event in Agra

October

• Ram Barat / Rambarat (Ram Lila) / Braj Parikrama - early October, prior to Dussehra, with a grand 'Rambarat' marriage procession, passing throughout many parts of the city, including a grand parade of mounted elephants
• Diwali - late October / early November, 20 days after the Dussehra festivities, celebrating the return of Ram and that good was victorious over evil, featuring lights and lanterns around many parts of central Agra, lighting the darkness and creating an enchanting atmosphere

November

• Bateshwar Fair - throughout November, this month-long celebration takes place in Bateshwar, on the banks of the River Yamuna, which is sited just over 60 km / 37 miles from Agra
• Lucknow Mahotsava - late November / early December, ten-day festival with parades, plays, Urdu singing (ghazals), kathak dancing, sitar recitals, racing and also kite flying

December

• Eid-ul-Adha (Festival of Sacrifice) - mid-December, Muslim festival starting on the tenth day of the Dhul Hija month of the Islamic calendar, when you can expect prayers and sacrifices of goats and sheep throughout India
• Eid ul-Fitr - late December, crowds gather at the mosque and bazaar at the Fatehpur Sikri, close to Agra. This marks the end of the Ramadan celebrations